Let it Go
by True Rarity
Summary: Slice of Life about Elsa's life as queen. Can Anna convince her sister to lighten up and enjoy herself?


**Let it Go - A Short Story**

_Disclaimer: Frozen and all associated characters are property of Disney._

Elsa wrapped her hands around the warm teacup and brought it close to her face. Her hands tingled in protest, unused to the higher temperature of the beverage. Even so, the queen calmly took in the sweet aroma, letting the steam rise around her. Slowly, she took a sip. Just because she had ice powers didn't mean she didn't enjoy a hot cup of tea - or, better yet, hot chocolate.

It was a chilly fall morning in the kingdom of Arendelle. Elsa had been crowned queen four months ago. Since that day, she'd learned to contain her powers and could even eat hot food without it freezing in the harsh low temperatures of her frosty bedroom.

Now, her subjects were bundling up in heavy clothes and cloaks, preparing for the oncoming winter. The days were growing colder, but Elsa had never minded that. She was waiting silently, anticipating the first snowfall, when she could finally be free.

It was never official, but since her return from the North Mountain, Elsa had resolved that she was to keep her abilities hidden from the general public unless an emergency arises or until after the first snowfall of each winter season. The skating rink she'd made was more so in celebration of her return; but other than those special occasions, she tried to keep her powers in check. It was a decision that she'd made on her own without any outside influence, and the citizens of Arendelle didn't complain.

The first three weeks were easy. But when her queenly responsibilities took her on full force, well, it wasn't uncommon to see some frost creeping along her doorframe every now and then.

It had been hard. She constantly pressured herself to hold back from what made her feel free and in control. Elsa had stopped wearing gloves subsequent to her coronation, which meant she had to live with the constant temptation of using her magic. Just one snowflake, she'd often thought. It couldn't hurt anyone.

Elsa had struggled for about a month before finally controlling her powers completely. During that time, she'd often considered using gloves again.

No, she'd think, and shove the idea right back out the door. This was something she needed to face. She couldn't hide anymore. Elsa knew that this was important to rule successfully. She had to do her best. For Arendelle. For Anna. If she put the gloves back on, they'd think something was wrong.

Finally, Elsa managed to go for a full month without an incident. The record soon stretched to two, and it was about to be three.

_Enough reminiscing_, Elsa mentally scolded herself, picking up her pen. _Back to work_. She continued reading through documents that required her signature.

"Elsa?"

The queen recognized her sister's voice immediately. "How long have you been up?" she called in response. As ruler, Elsa was so busy that she was always up long before the servants had to wake her up. Not liking to be touched, she normally dressed herself and asked a maid for some tea or hot chocolate before getting right to work.

"Oh, not too long. Won't you join me for breakfast?"

Elsa took a deep breath. She hated to disappoint her little sister, but... "Anna, I'm-"

"Busy, I know!" Anna sounded irritated. After a pause, she added, "You know, tea isn't a very good breakfast."

"It will suffice," Elsa replied, signing a paper with a flourish.

"Oh, come on," Anna said. "The cook made hot chocolate," she added, in a more playful tone. To emphasize her point, she opened the door just a crack.

The smell of chocolate came wafting in, giving Elsa's mouth a reason to water. But she had to protest. "I've just got too much to do."

Anna groaned and shut the door again.

Elsa waited for Anna to say more, but there was nothing. She finished off her tea and continued to sign papers.

Minutes later, Anna walked in without knocking. She was carrying a silver platter with a small steaming mug. Setting it down on Elsa's desk, she said, "Elsa, even the servants say you're overworking yourself. You need to get out more."

Elsa looked at the mug. The scent of chocolate reached her nose again. She inhaled deeply - ah, chocolate! She picked up the mug and took a long gulp, effectively emptying the cup.

Anna giggled and danced over to the door. "There's more where that came from," she told Elsa, holding the door open invitingly.

Elsa sat still and let the smells of a large breakfast meet her - bacon, sausage, eggs, pancakes, waffles, French toast - you name it, it was probably waiting for her on the long dining room table. She imagined Anna eating there... All alone.

Just like their childhood.

Suddenly Elsa remembered what it was like for both of them when they were younger, separated, isolated from everything and everyone.

"Oh, alright," she gave in, standing up.

Anna hopped up and down like a little bird, clapping her hands together excitedly. As soon as Elsa was out of her chair, she grabbed her hand and dragged her down the large corridor, letting go only to slide down the banister. Forget ladylike mannerisms!

As they neared the dining room, the breakfast scents got stronger. Elsa's stomach rumbled, begging for at least one morsel more than boring old herbal tea. She acknowledged herself moving a little faster, and not just to keep up with Anna.

Finally the sisters reached the tall double doors of the dining hall. Anna stepped up to the doors, pressing her palms firmly on the surface, and threw them open dramatically.

"Announcing her Majesty, Queen Elsa of Arendelle," Anna said loudly, over exaggerating her curtsy and nearly tripping over her blue skirt.

Elsa giggled, lifting a hand to her face. The dining room was empty; why not play along? She cleared her throat and straightened. "Thank you. At ease," she told her pretend servant. "Jester," she added with a wink as she passed by.

"Hey!" Anna pushed at Elsa with a smile before running over to the large chair at the head of the table. "Your highness," she said with another bow, gesturing to the seat of the chair.

Elsa responded with an elegant nod as she took her seat. Anna scrambled to heap her sister's plate with all kinds of breakfast foods. The queen watched her quietly. Anna had so much energy, like a playful, roley-poley kitten.

"You know, you don't have to do that." Elsa finally spoke.

Anna, who was trying to pile a generous portion of bacon onto Elsa's plate and swipe some of the crunchy meat into her mouth at the same time, waved her hand dismissively. "Pfft! I never have the servants do anything for me anymore. Besides, you haven't had a proper breakfast in weeks." Anna set the plate down in front of Elsa. "I feel it is my solemn duty," she added, with an air of importance, "to serve her Majesty Queen Elsa of Arendelle this morning's feast in anticipation of a certain event that could possibly occur today." With that, she flounced back to her seat.

The queen gracefully picked up her fork and knife. "And what event might that be?"

"The first snowfall of the year," Anna replied matter-of-factly, reaching across the table to spear a sausage with her fork.

Elsa's hands flared up coldly and excitedly at the words, and she almost dropped her silverware in response. Hiding her reaction, she asked calmly, "How do you know?"

"I don't, exactly," Anna mumbled, her mouth full of biscuit. She swallowed and grasped some bacon with her fingers. "Kristoff says the temperature seems about right, and it's pretty cloudy. He thinks it might snow." She stuffed the bacon in her mouth. "He _does_ know a lot about that sort of thing, you know."

"I see." As Elsa continued to eat quietly, she found herself smiling. If it snowed, she could finally be set free once more. She was so excited, she wasn't sure she could contain herself much longer.

The queen took a deep breath. If she overreacted about something that might happen, it could snow anyway, but only because of her powers, not a natural order of events. She wouldn't feel right cheating to make it snow. A few seconds later, she felt perfectly calm.

Breakfast went on without much conversation. Elsa saw no need to speak, while Anna was too busy finding out how many hard-boiled eggs she could eat at once. The elder sister found herself giggling at her sibling's endeavors several times.

Finally, the two had finished. Elsa had managed to clear off half of her plate, while Anna had wolfed down everything on hers - and then her sister's leftovers. The queen wiped her face, stood up and started for the door.

"Where are you going?" Anna asked, folding her napkin into a heart shape.

"To the study. I still have plenty of paperwork left," Elsa responded.

Anna scrunched up her face and shook her head, her signature pigtail braids flying about her face. "No, no, no! You need to take a break. I didn't get you out of that stuffy room so you could eat and sign papers!" She sighed, thought for a moment, and brightened, snapping her fingers. "I know! You could sit in the garden and watch for the snowfall. That way, you can know when it's starting as soon as it happens."

Elsa thought about that. The garden didn't look like much right now; just a lot of brown grass and bare trees. But once snow covered anything, it looked beautiful. "Hmm... What if it doesn't snow today?"

Anna shrugged. "Then you sit in the garden all day. Come on, how bad could it be?" She grinned excitedly.

Elsa had to smile at her sister's optimism. "Well... Alright."

"Good!" Anna scrambled up and dashed toward the door.

"Anna, would you like to join me?" Elsa asked. "We never got to build that snowman."

Anna stopped in her tracks and turned around enthusiastically. "That would be great!" she exclaimed excitedly, jumping around again. She suddenly stood still, groaned, and facepalmed. "But I can't!"

Slightly startled, Elsa blinked. "What's wrong?"

Anna clasped her hands nervously. "I promised Olaf I'd watch with him in the chapel bell tower. We got permission to ring it when the snow starts falling," she said apologetically. "I'm so sorry..."

Elsa hid her disappointment. "It's alright," she replied with a small smile. "Ring the bell nice and loudly for me."

Anna managed a smile as well. "Okay," she said, and turned to go. Before she left completely, she turned around and tackled her sister with a hug. "I'll be back for that snowman!" And, with that, she ran off.

Laughing quietly, Elsa walked down the other corridor towards the garden. She strolled along slowly, taking in everything; the sounds, the smells... Anna was right. She really didn't get out enough.

Finally, the queen reached the doors to the garden. She paused in front of the double doors, looking solemnly at the thick stained glass. Elsa had not set foot in the castle garden since she was quite young. She wasn't sure what to expect. Slowly, she lifted her elegant hands and opened the doors silently.

What Elsa found was not exactly the lush green landscape she remembered from her childhood. Instead of teeming with life, the garden was now bare and brown, but it was very well-kept. Elsa could tell that the gardeners had been working very hard on it since she last saw it.

Her hands flew to her cloak clasp. It was velvet and dark blue, not quite as long as her coronation cloak, but it was still rather warm and heavy. She quickly undid the button and let it drop to the ground, wriggling her shoulders freely. Looking around the garden slowly, Elsa sat down on a marble bench to wait.

Kristoff was probably right to assume that the snow could fall that day. The sky was filled with pale grey clouds; the temperature was just about perfect for snow. Elsa could sense these things; Kristoff wasn't the only one who knew a lot about winter weather.

About an hour later, Elsa began to grow tired. She yawned, covering her mouth, and laid down on the bench in hopes of taking a nap. She hadn't gotten much sleep lately, as she was trying to catch up on some paperwork. Soon enough, she dozed off.

It seemed that no sooner than the queen had closed her eyes, the sharp ringing of a bell reached her ears. Elsa sat up and rubbed gently at her eyes, stretching. She opened up her eyes, and the first thing she saw was a small snowflake coming straight for her, landing on her nose. With a smile, the queen flexed her fingers. Time to let go.

**THE END**

_**Author's Note:**_

_Hello, lovely followers! This is just a little something to let you know I haven't forgotten you._

_Yes, I've hopped on the bandwagon and written a Frozen fanfiction. It started out as a little story just for fun; I was experimenting with characters and whatnot, but I eventually decided I'd cave in and post it here for you all. And yes, that is an extremely cliché title, but I couldn't think of anything better._

_Now that summer's begun, I'll have more time to develop my ideas. Here's a list of what to expect:_

_An author's note like this one at the end of every chapter, bringing updates, behind-the-scenes, and replies to questions asked in reviews_

_An AAML fanfiction (maybe) for all you Pokéshippers out there_

_A Dash and a Bolt rewrite_

_Not necessarily in that particular order, but there you go. Now, I must be off, before this note becomes as long as the story. Okay, perhaps that was an exaggeration._

_Lots of love,_

_True Rarity_


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